Sushi Master Headed for Manhattan

Ginza Sushi-Go? Masa Takayama, owner and sushi maof Ginza Sushi-Ko, is considering leaving Beverly Hills. His small, reservation-only restaurant is the most expensive in L.A. (and possibly the country), with prices starting at $300 a head. Takayama has been at his Rodeo Drive location for eight years. His reason for leaving? “I’d like to try a new place,” he tells us. “I like to try new things.” The switch won’t happen until next spring when the new AOL/Time Warner building in Manhattan he’s moving into is finished. Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, the Napa Valley’s most celebrated restaurant, has staked out space in the same building. And Manhattan chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Jean Georges, Vong, Jo Jo) will install a steakhouse there as well. Takayama might leave behind a small staff to keep his Beverly Hills place open. “My young chefs might take over,” he says, “but I don’t know yet.”

* Ginza Sushi-Ko, 218 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 247-8939.

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A Little Spinoff: Josiah Citrin, chef-owner of the high-end French restaurant Melisse, has just opened a bistro version his Santa Monica place in Valencia. “I feel really appreciated up here,” he says of the Santa Clarita Valley. Cafe Melisse seats about 300 in a main dining room, private dining room, lounge and patio. The colors are warm and subdued, as at Melisse, but the feeling is casual. A separate take-out section will open in a few weeks. Mario Perez, Citrin’s sous chef for nine years (and four restaurants), will be executive chef. Cafe Melisse is open for lunch and dinner daily.

Cafe Melisse, Valencia Town Center, 24300 Town Center Drive, Valencia. (661) 255-2233.

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R.I.P.: After 17 years on 3rd Street in Los Angeles, Peppe Miele closed L.A. Trattoria on Sunday. The lease was up for renewal and he couldn’t come to terms with his landlord. Miele still owns Antica Pizzeria in the Villa Marina Marketplace, 13455 Maxella Ave., Marina del Rey, however; L.A. Trattoria customers who need a Neopolitan fix can call the Marina location at (310) 577-8182 and get free pizza delivery for a month to help them weather the transition. Says Miele, “I would like to thank our customers for such a loyal run.”